There are various types of apparatuses in each of which a work head is moved relative to a work object to carry out desired work. Examples of those apparatuses include mechanical working apparatuses to carry out cutting, welding, etc., assembling apparatuses to carry out bonding, fastening of screws, etc., inspection apparatuses to observe or measure objects using a camera, a laser, etc., and an application apparatus for applying a liquid material to an object. The application apparatus is mainly constituted by an ejection device for intermittently or continuously ejecting a liquid material, which is stored in a container, by the action of air pressure or mechanical pressure, and a driving mechanism for moving the ejection device and a work object relative to each other.
In most of those apparatuses, the work is carried out in accordance with an operation program. Design information related to the work object is basically required in order to create the operation program. Here, the term “design information” implies CAD/CAM data, Gerber data, etc., which collectively include information that is related to dimensions of the work object, types of working to be carried out, and so on. On the other hand, there is also a technique of creating an operation program based on an image of an actual work object, which has been taken by a camera, without using the design information (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid application apparatus in which a syringe containing a liquid stored therein and an image capturing camera are disposed in an interlocked state, driving means is operated based on an image captured by the image capturing camera to move the image capturing camera along a liquid application path and to store an amount of operation corresponding to the movement of the image capturing camera, an amount of operation required to move the syringe along the liquid application path is calculated from a relative relationship between the image capturing camera and the syringe, the driving means is operated in accordance with the calculated amount of operation, and the liquid is ejected from the syringe, thereby applying the liquid along the liquid application path on a member as an application object.
Patent Document 2 discloses an automatic application apparatus comprising a dispenser for applying an application material, and means for capturing an image of an application object and displaying the image on a screen, wherein when an application position is designated on the screen using an input device, an ejection port of the dispenser is moved to the designated position, and when data, such as the type of application material, an application speed, and an application width, is input, control is executed by calculating respective optimum values of a moving speed of moving means and an ejection pressure of the dispenser.
The applicant has previously proposed a technique of automatically generating a movement program by inputting movement information of a working apparatus as figure information, and outputting in real time information, such as a path corresponding to the input movement information, on a screen on a character basis. Stated in another way, Patent Document 3 discloses a program and a device, the program comprising the steps of displaying a text input window which allows input of movement information of a working apparatus on a character basis, displaying a figure input window which allows input of the movement information of the working apparatus as a path on a two-dimensional plane, the path being correlated with height information, outputting in real time, as the path on the two-dimensional plane and the height information thereof, the movement information of the working apparatus, which is input through the text input window, to the figure input window, outputting in real time the movement information of the working apparatus, which is input through the figure input window, to the text input window on a character basis, displaying a 3D display screen of the path of the working apparatus, and automatically generating a movement program for the working apparatus.